Two-point suspension for automobiles.



B. C. LORING.

TWO-POINT SUSPENSION FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1:. 1912.

l 1 86,0 1 3 Patented June 6, 1916.

20,2 6% ass as. .272 V611: zo 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN o. LORING, or PROVIDENCE, nnonn isLANn, ASSIGNOR T0 JAMESTILLING- HAS-'1, TRUSTEE, or PROVIDENCE, n-nonn ISLAND.

TWO-POINT SUSPENSION FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed May 11, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN C. LORING, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Providence, in the county of Providence and State ofRhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTwo-Point Suspension for Automobiles, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to vehicles and especially to the means forsupporting or suspending the body or motor frame relatively to theaxles, and the object of the invention is to provide a constructionwhich will render it impossible to warp or twist the frame when thevehicle is moving over an uneven road-way.

To this end the invention consists in the improvements which I will nowproceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of so much .of avehicle embodying my improvements as is necessary to illustrate theinvention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in longitudinal section.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in both of thefigures.

It is to be understood that I do not attempt to illustrate the detailsof such parts of the vehicle or mechanism as'are old and well known,preferring to avoid confusion by illustrating only such portion orportions of the complete vehicle as include my int provements or areimmediately connected therewith. The front axle 10 and rear axle 11carry wheels 12, as usual, the front wheels being mounted to swingrelatively to the axle for steering purposes in any ordinary orpreferred manner.

Carried by the front and rear axles are the main supporting side springs13 which are or may be connected by brace rods 14, each pair of frontsprings 13 and rear springs 13 supporting a spider or yoke 15, theconnections between said springs and spiders being such as indicated at20 in Fig. 2. The body frame 16 has at its front and rear a spider oryoke 17 which is above the spider or yoke 15. The center member 18 ofthe spider 15 and the center member 19 of the spider 17 having a rockingconnection as by means of a ball and socket joint. The simple connectionbetween the two spiders may, however, be any other form that maySpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Serial No. 696,740.

be preferred so long as it will permit a lateral relative rockingmovement.

It will now be understood that if the vehicle is traveling over anuneven road, either wheel may be raised considerably above the plane ofthe other wheels withoutimparting any torsional strain to the body frame16, although said body is spring-supported, because the springs 13 areinterposed between the axles and the lower spiders 15, it beingimpossible to impart any twisting strain to the frame 16 because thelatter is capable of rocking laterally on two points which are in turnsupported by the lower spiders.

To hold the body frame 16 in proper horizontal or balanced position,suitable springs are employed such as illustrated at 21, said springsbeing connected at their upper ends to the frame 16 and at their lowerends to the arms of the lower spiders. It is to be understood, ofcourse, that the structure illustrated at the right of Fig. 2, which isthe front end of the machine, is duplicated at the rear end of themachine. This construction allows the car to be hung as near the groundas an under-slung chassis without any of the disadvantages of suchconstruction. Owing to the fact that the body frame is mounted at twopoints so as to rock laterally independently of its supporting springs13, the body frame may yield, or either axle may yield, withoutimparting any sudden shock to the axle springs over a rough road, andwithout requiring the use of shock absorbers.

The body frame 16 is rigid, being practically a truss frame, and sincesaid frame is supported at two points only, it does not matter if theengine is connected to said frame at any number of points, because theframe itself cannot twist, or get out of line. The balancing springs 21are entirely independent of the supporting spring 13 and therefore nomovement can be transmitted through the supporting springs 13 to thebody frame 16.

While I have illustrated the frame 16 in Fig. 1 as pointed at front andrear, it is to be understood that this is merely a selection of designand I do not limit myself thereto. Said frame'l6 may have any desiredshape. The axles and the spiders and the frame 16 may have any desiredshape to secure the support of the engine and carriage body at suchheight above the ground as may be desired.

I claim:-

1. A motor vehicle having a single rigid body frame mounted at twopoints below the body supported by said frame to rock laterallyindependently of its supporting springs, and. means for balancing saidframe.

2. A motor vehicle having a single rigid body frame mounted at twopoints below the body supported by said frame above its supportingsprings and capable of rocking laterally on said two points, andbalancing springs independent of the supporting springs.

3. A motorvehicle having its axles provided with spring-supported yokeslocated below the vehicle body, a single rigid body frame prdvided withyokes at its front and rear ends, above the first-mentioned yokes, and arocking connection between each pair of upper and lower yokes.

t. A motor vehicle having its axles provided with spring-supported yokeslocated below the body of the vehicle, a single body frame provided withyokes at its 'front and rear ends, above the first-mentioned yokes belowsaid. body, a rocking connection be tween each pair of upper and loweryokes, and balancing springs to hold the body frame normallyllOlfZOIltfll.

5. A motor vehicle including its axles and wheels, and a singlesubstantially rigid frame supporting the body and engine of the vehicle,rocking connections being provided between said frame and each axlesubstantially midway between the ends of the axles and below the body ofthe vehicle, whereby the entire structure above the axles and wheels issupported at two points to rock laterally.

, 6. A motor vehicle including its axles and wheels, and a singlesubstantially rigid frame having pointed front and rear ends, andsupporting the body and engine of the vehicle, rocking connections beingprovided between said frame and each axle substantially midway betweenthe ends of the axles and below the body of the vehicle, whereby theenthe structure above the axles and wheels is supported at two points torock laterally.

7. A motor vehicle including its axles and wheels, a singlesubstantially rigid frame supporting the body and engine of the vehicle,a yoke carried by each axle, a yoke at each end of said frame, rockingconnections between the two yokes at each. end of the vehicle andsubstantially midway between the ends of the axles, whereby the entirestructure above the axles and wheels is supported at two points to rocklaterally.

8. A motor vehicle having its body provided with a single frame havingtwo rocking bearings upon the axles disposed longitudinally of thevehicle and substantially midway between the sides thereof.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

BENJAMIN C. LORING. lVitnesses A. XV. HARRISON, P. W. PEZZETTL Copies 01this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

